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The Stanford Prison Experiment was incredible and terrifying. Although we are becoming more and more vocal in society (especially by spreading the word digitally!) I have a hard time imagining such an experiment happening in the U.S. today. The press would be on it immediately and I would assume that the university would not allow these types of experiments to happen. This is disappointing because this type of direct research testing results in discoveries that cannot be found otherwise.
That said, I could not help but notice the correlation of the prison experiment to school classrooms. Instructors have been using similar behavioral tactics for years and have continued to do so today in order to gain control and maintain order. These tactics are psychological (i.e. calling out a student to make them embarrassed) and physical (i.e. running laps). Teachers have even resulted to taking away time, which is highly regarded these days! Like the guards, instructors sometimes use intimidations, humiliation, demasculization, and invent arbitrary rules. These approaches are used to confuse, instill fear, and command respect. But can one command respect? Is respect a behavioral response or a feeling? In this case, the guards and some teachers consider it a displayable verb. They might force a student to be quiet or stay in their seat but they cannot force learning.
The Stamford Prison Experiment also talked about the ways in which prisons and the military minimized individuality by shaving heads. This reminded me of school uniforms. Is it positive to take away a student’s physical identity and force them to conform? I never had to wear a uniform to school but I used to see it as a blessing. I felt it would save precious morning time by not having to figure out what to wear and blur the line of the external haves and the have nots. Are we really stealing identity or taking the focus off clothing and placing it on less physical characteristics?
The oppressive environment also made me think of school buildings. They both have a strange stale smell and cold sterile concrete walls. Very often school environments are less than welcoming. On the other hand, too much decoration could be a distraction.
Even the evidence regarding sleep cycles and inadequate diet play a role in psychological well-being. It has been proven that teenagers have different circadian rhythms that can influence the function of the body as much as nutrition. Feeding students sugary vending machine cuisine and getting them out of bed at 6 in the morning might not be the most suitable way to promote healthy learning.
As instructors, we cannot control what happens outside of the school day but to support learning we need to consider the physiological needs as well as regulation tactics we use.
…or be “perpetrators of evil” Oh, my!
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